9

How can I specify an external harddrive as the download target for the Mist blockchain?

Hi there,

I am using Linux Ubuntu 15.10

My harddrive is quite full and I need to download the whole Mist blockchain.

Is it possible to specify an external harddrive as the target for the blockchain and if so, how do I do it?

Even if the blockchain data gets corrupted somehow, it won't affect my wallets, right? I can keep them in a folder on my computer instead of the external harddrive, yes or no?

I. e. I would prefer having the blockchain data on an external drive and the wallet files on my laptop harddrive. Possible or not?

Vesa

1 Answer 1

5

Summary

Q: How can I specify an external harddrive as the download target for the Mist blockchain?

A: The answer for the Mac version is in Method 1 in In Mist browser how can I move the data (blockchain) to another drive on Mac OSX?. The Linux version is below.

Q: Even if the blockchain data gets corrupted somehow, it won't affect my wallets, right? I can keep them in a folder on my computer instead of the external harddrive, yes or no?

A: Yes. Just make sure that you backup ~/.ethereum/keystore.

Q: I. e. I would prefer having the blockchain data on an external drive and the wallet files on my laptop harddrive. Possible or not?

A: Yes.



The Details

The default subdirectory where your Ethereum data files are stored on Linux is ~/.ethereum .

Within this subdirectory, your blockchain data is stored in the subdirectory chaindata, i.e., ~/.ethereum/chaindata .

Let's assume that your new drive is mounted on /mnt/extdrive1 for this example.

Copy your ~/.ethereum/chaindata subdirectory into your new location /mnt/extdrive1/Ethereum/chaindata using the following command:

mkdir /mnt/extdrive1/Ethereum
cp -rpv ~/.ethereum/chaindata /mnt/extdrive1/Ethereum/

A copy of your Ethereum chaindata subdirectory will now be located in /mnt/extdrive1/Ethereum/chaindata.

Rename your default Ethereum chaindata subdirectory for testing:

mv ~/.ethereum/chaindata ~/.ethereum/OldChaindata_to_delete_when_tested

Soft link your new chaindata subdirectory back to the default location:

ln -s /mnt/extdrive1/Ethereum/chaindata ~/.ethereum/chaindata

Test out your Mist browser and delete your old chaindata directory ONLY AFTER your testing is successful:

rm -rf ~/.ethereum/OldChaindata_to_delete_when_tested


References

5

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.